PEAKLIFE

While the name of Merc’s 7-seater baby might sound more like a puzzle, this little hustler is genuinely at the top of its class.

Like anywhere else in the world, we in India too like SUVs that can seat 7 people at a time, even though the space inside might look a little compromised. But make no mistake, the GLB is a true 7-seater in that sense of the term, though the 3rd row of seating is probably best left to little children. Though this is a pricey piece of kit, the vehicle has a lot going for it.

Let’s start with the exteriors first. I just love that upright stance, the large front bonnet and of course expansive sides. The height of this vehicle makes ingress and egress particularly comfortable. You get full-LED lighting with bar DRLs, cladding on the wheel arches and in the case of our test car, it came with 19-inch alloys from the AMG line, that is standard with the 4Matic – Mercedes’ patent all-wheel drive system. In fact, the looks of the GLB have a striking similarity with the range-topping GLS. The 2,829mm wheelbase gives it serious legroom inside, which we shall come to later.

Interiors now share signature Mercedes design – you get the long 10.25-inch twin display infotainment and instrument cluster, circular vents for climate control, a touchpad, few physical buttons between the front seats, aluminium and leather steering wheel with a touch sensor and controls for the infotainment, information display and of course cruise control. There are Mercedes’ famously overloaded stalks for wiper control and other functions, whilst another stalk on the right hand side takes care of transmission duties. Merc would be nothing without its 64-colour interior LED lighting and it covers virtually every part of the car. Even the aircon vents change colour if you toggle the climate control – turning blue for colder and red for heating. Second row has good legroom and the seats themselves are very supportive and gets their own aircon vents – a must for our country. The third row has absolutely no space and is fine for children upto 6-7 years old – more than that I would not recommend, even with the second row of seats pushed well forward. Thankfully, the 3rd row can be reclined flat to increase cargo area. There are USB-C slots around to help charge your digital devices.

The 2.0-litre diesel version we drove gets 190 horses and 440Nm of torque, quite impressive figures. Mercedes claims a 0-100kmph time of 7.6 seconds for the diesel variant and it surely feels so. Power delivery is available at a tap of the accelerator – the surge can be relentless. The engine is ably assisted by the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Ride quality is quite good and the GLB looks to be able to tackle any kind of road challenges we can throw at it. Safety of course has not been ignored and you do get 7 airbags including curtain airbags as well. On board also are the usual suite of electronic nannies like Electronic Stability Program, ABS etc. and it is good to note that the GLB scored a 5-star rating in Euro NCAP.

This brings us to the main question – is the GLB worth its price? At a starting price of INR 63.8 lakh for the petrol and going upto 69.8 lakh, ex-showroom for the 220d 4Matic, it is quite a pricey fella. But given the attitude and the attributes, this is one hell of a mean vehicle to own and drive. You get amazing features and performance in a 7-seater configuration and that itself puts Merc’s GLB into its own unique position with no competitors.